English medium instruction at tertiary level in turkey: a study of academics’ needs and perceptions

Abstract

Universities offering English Medium Instruction (EMI) programmes have been gaining in popularity in higher education across the globe. The reasons why students favour EMI programmes and how the medium of language affects employment outcomes have been a matter of debate. However, lecturers' views on the quality of EMI programmes are often ignored, although they are of vital importance as lecturers are key actors in the process itself. This paper both examines the language-related challenges which academics experience when adjusting to the demands of EMI and also provides an overview of teaching practices in EMI undergraduate programmes. To this end, the study seeks to shed light on three research questions: (1) Which teaching practices do EMI lecturers use? (2) What are EMI lecturers' views on the implementation of EMI? and (3) What areas of improvement can be identified to enhance the effectiveness of EMI through in-service training? The study comprises quantitative and non-experimental research; it was based on the findings of a survey of academics working in a state university in southern Turkey. To investigate the faculty members' views, a questionnaire was developed based on a literature review and expert opinions and was distributed to 113 faculty members of different academic ranks. Overall, the results show that the content lecturers seemed to be using a variety of methodological teaching practices in class. However, the use of the native language by lecturers to help students' comprehension needs to be studied carefully. Most of the participants agreed that EMI necessitates tailored training. The faculty members also believed that there has to be a collaboration between the content lecturers and the language teachers in the Preparatory Year Programme (PYP). By examining content lecturers' teaching practices and views on the implementation of EMI, the findings of this study can help university administrators to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of EMI programmes.